Vident Advisory LLC Increases Position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)

Vident Advisory LLC raised its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) by 548.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 81,032 shares of the healthcare conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 68,536 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 0.7% of Vident Advisory LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Vident Advisory LLC’s holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $40,992,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of UnitedHealth Group in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 87.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Performance

UnitedHealth Group stock opened at $291.24 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $470.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $513.25. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $248.88 and a 1-year high of $630.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $264.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.56.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.29 by ($0.09). UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 3.60% and a return on equity of 26.69%. The firm had revenue of $109.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $111.56 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.91 EPS. On average, analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 29.54 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $2.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $8.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. UnitedHealth Group’s payout ratio is currently 35.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kristen Gil acquired 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $271.17 per share, with a total value of $1,003,329.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,035,327.06. This trade represents a 3,135.59% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen J. Hemsley purchased 86,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $288.57 per share, with a total value of $25,019,019.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 679,493 shares in the company, valued at $196,081,295.01. This trade represents a 14.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 109,408 shares of company stock valued at $31,607,768. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $575.00 to $450.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $515.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. HSBC restated a “hold” rating and set a $490.00 price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Bank of America downgraded shares of UnitedHealth Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $560.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $525.00 to $355.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, UnitedHealth Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $486.00.

UnitedHealth Group Profile

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.